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Title:	LAUNCHER, GRENADE -  U.S. GRENADE LAUNCHER T148E1 40MM SN# 1
Maker/Manufacturer:	SPRINGFIELD ARMORY
Date of Manufacture:	C 1960
Eminent Figure:
Catalog Number:	SPAR 3195
Measurements:	OL: 74.9CM 29 1/2" BL: 30.4CM 12"

Object Description:

U.S. GRENADE LAUNCHER T148E1 40MM SN# 1
Manufactured by Springfield Armory, Springfield, Ma. - T148E1 Launcher is a 3-round magazine-fed, percussion-fired, semiautomatic, shoulder type weapon that is capable of launching an antipersonnel fragmentation type projectile.

Markings:
Receiver: SPRINGFIELD ARMORY LAUNCHER, GRENADE T148E1 NO. 1 U.S. PROPERTY.
Barrel: R&D.

Weapon transferred to the Museum on 5 January 1965. At that time launcher was appraised at $5,000.

HISTORICAL SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES:
1JUL57 - 31DEC57 - "Intensive industrial engineering work on the T148 type launcher during this period was directed toward the preparation of technical data for this item. It was anticipated that product design would be proved out by the fabrication of a quantity of items, thereby resulting in a technical data package suitable for procurement and production. Studies relating to methods of manufacture, material, and the use of investment castings continued, the overall activity being toward the objective of providing a weapon incorporating the latest technology."
1JAN58 - 30JUN58 - "The pilot lot of Launchers was completed on schedule early in the calendar year. Process engineering on the larger quantity of weapons was 95% completed at the end of June, and 82% of the tools released for fabrication. However, only 13% of the tools had been fabricated, due to workload on other items, and orders for about 40% of the total load were placed with private industry."
1JAN59 - 30JUN59 - "The Launcher T148 weapon pilot lot production program was suspended by higher Headquarters in lieu of initiating a program on the XM79 launcher."
1JUL60 - 31DEC60 - "The T148E-1 and T148E-2 programs were terminated. Arctic test of the E-2 was cancelled and R&D was requested to bring their unfinished work on the E-2 to an orderly conclusion."

References:
See, SA-NM20-2719.